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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
href="mailto:rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu" title=rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu>Robert
Jensen</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> STATEMENT OF KISSINGER PROTEST ORGANIZERS</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><BR>STATEMENT OF KISSINGER PROTEST ORGANIZERS<BR><BR>Jan. 29,
2000<BR>for more information contact:<BR>Bob Jensen, 471-1990, <A
href="mailto:rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu">rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu</A><BR>Rahul
Mahajan, 477-5902, <A
href="mailto:rahul@peaches.ph.utexas.edu">rahul@peaches.ph.utexas.edu</A><BR><BR>The
comments of University of Texas administrators about the planned<BR>protest
of<BR>Henry Kissinger's speech on campus are so full of false claims,
distortions<BR>and<BR>obfuscations that a response is necessary to set the
record straight. <BR><BR>A diverse group of campus and community groups and
individuals held a teach-in<BR>on Jan. 25 and were planning a peaceful
demonstration at Kissinger's talk on<BR>Feb. 1. In the best tradition of
non-violent political dissent, our goal<BR>was to<BR>speak truth to power, to
challenge a former public official about his<BR>record of<BR>subverting
democracy (as in Chile), supporting genocide (as in East
Timor),<BR>and<BR>conducting an illegal war (as in Southeast Asia). In short, as
citizens of a<BR>democracy, we planned to hold Kissinger accountable for his
crimes against<BR>humanity.<BR><BR>At no time did the groups or individuals
involved consider, discuss, or plan a<BR>violent protest. Our fliers made it
clear we would be peaceful, as did<BR>information posted on a web site. We
planned to use the traditional methods of<BR>communication open to dissenters
who are shut out of the mainstream media and<BR>powerful institutions: leaflets,
signs, speeches. In short, we planned to<BR>exercise our free speech. Many of
those involved have planned dozens of<BR>protests in the past few years in
Austin, all of which have been completely<BR>non-violent.<BR><BR>In response to
this, Harry Middleton, the director of the LBJ Library, stated<BR>that
organizations ("some local, some imported" -- reminiscent of
hackneyed<BR>charges of "outside agitators") would deny Kissinger "his
right to speak."<BR>University Chancellor William Cunningham and President Larry
Faulkner<BR>manufactured concerns about public safety, never explaining just how
the<BR>public<BR>would be endangered. Faulkner accused the protesters of
"threats of assault on<BR>a peaceable, academic assembly" and called us immoral.
In truly Orwellian<BR>fashion, the chancellor suggested that by trying to speak,
we would abridge<BR>the<BR>free speech rights of Kissinger and/or the community.
<BR><BR>The charges that we wanted to shut down the event are ludicrous;
instead, we<BR>wanted to open up the discussion and make it more than a
stage-managed<BR>pseudo-event. The university has made a cheap attempt to
marginalize and<BR>demonize political dissent. Authorities in this culture honor
dissent in the<BR>abstract and in the distant past, but they want to avert it in
the present. <BR><BR>In a meaningful democracy, the ability of citizens to
speak to each other<BR>about<BR>politics is central. That's what we intended to
do -- to hand out leaflets and<BR>engage people attending the speech in
dialogue. Citizens in a democracy also<BR>have a right, and an obligation, to
demand from public officials explanations<BR>for policies. We intended to ask
that Kissinger respond to questions from the<BR>audience in a real dialogue, not
just to pre-screened written questions as the<BR>organizers of his appearance
apparently had planned. <BR><BR>Far from being afraid of violence,
it seems UT officials and Henry Kissinger<BR>were afraid of
dialogue.<BR></BODY></HTML>